Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Looking back over my Ask Jo articles for 2010, I noticed a common thread. It was about recognizing the self-imposed limitations that hold women back from achieving their full potential to lead and achieve.

As the year draws to a close and we launch into 2011, this is an ideal time for self-reflection. Here is a checklist of common career-limiting missteps to look out for, and proactive steps you can take to make sure you are living up to your potential and seizing all of the career opportunities available to you.

1. Stop wondering if you’ll make a good leader.It’s time to dive right in and try it! Leadership can be learned, and the best way to learn is to just do it.

3. Enough with mentoring sessions that just go through the motions!Do you need to re-energize your mentoring relationships? There are a variety of different roles a mentor can play, and it may be time to change up how you are working together. Engage each of your mentors to be your coach, appraiser, advisor and referral agent.

Don’t just go to your mentors for feedback and advice. You can also engage them as sponsors. Accelerate your career advancement by asking them to open doors for you, make introductions and connect you to career opportunities.

7. Don’t go undervalued by your company.Has your company lost sight of why you are a valuable asset? To make your value clear, build a dynamic leadership brand that utilizes your talents, feeds your passions, and delivers a service that is needed and wanted by your company.

Use this checklist as a self-assessment to acknowledge the ways in which you have managed your career well in 2010, and what you’d like to do differently to move things forward in the new year.

Monday, October 11, 2010

I was interviewed by Forbes Woman for their article on how some women find the 'control-freak' tendencies that were once a career blessing become curse as they transition from high-performing individual contributor to leader.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

If so, you are invited to join me on October 28 at Poised for Leadership, a one-day workshop for women who want to create a roadmap into positions of responsibility, influence and leadership.

Register now, and discover what it really takes to break through into leadership, including how to:

-Project a seasoned, credible leadership presence-Gain visibility and reward for your accomplishments-Build a reputation as a leader, expert or go-to person-Understand the dynamics of power in your organization-Navigate organizational politics with savvy-Build an influential network-Leverage your network to gain access to hidden resources, information and opportunities-Cultivate influence and get buy-in for ideas and initiatives-Create, envision and lead high-profile projects.

A past participant recently said:"... a month ago I was promoted to a Senior Manager position, three months after attending Poised for Leadership. The takeaways from the workshop have tangibly accelerated my career advancement."

Monday, October 4, 2010

Women's Leadership Coaching Inc. is excited to announce the launch of the NEW Leadership Academy, in partnership with The Network of Executive Women (NEW).

NEW's mission is to attract, retain and advance women in the retail and consumer products industry through education, leadership and business development.

The partnership provides NEW's members with access to a series of webinars that will help prepare mid-level and emerging leaders for top management roles in their organizations. These courses will be presented by Kim Zilliox, veteran career coach from Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc.Topics in the eight-part webinar series include:

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Question: What is the difference between a sponsor and a mentor? Do I need both?

Answer:Yes, you need both, and understanding the difference can make a world of difference to your career.

I jumped for joy and let out a Howard Dean-like scream when I read Harvard Business Review’s Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women because I believe the authors have stumbled upon a game-changing, ground-breaking insight into how women can advance within corporations.

The report draws from Catalyst’s research to describe how men and women have roughly equal access to mentors, with women slightly more likely to report having being mentored. However men are still gaining an edge in the career opportunities that result. So the authors asked “If the women are being mentored so thoroughly, why aren’t they moving into higher management positions?”

Read the full article if you have time, and if you do not, here are my key take-aways:

1) All mentorships are not equal. 2) The difference is sponsorship, when the mentor “uses his or her influence with senior executives to advocate for the mentee.”3) Men and women both get valuable advice from their mentors, but it’s more likely for men who describe being sponsored.4) In comparison to male counterparts, high-potential women are overmentored and undersponsored.5) The more senior the mentor, the more rapid the mentee’s career advancement.

The authors concluded by summarizing what companies could do to advance women (less over-mentoring, more accountable sponsoring) but I am more interested in what women can do with this knowledge, to advance themselves.

Firstly, I’d like to defend mentoring as a valuable career tool, and not just for the knowledge you’ll gain. Asking someone to mentor you is a good way to expand your ‘upward’ network, and it is easier than asking someone to sponsor you. Engaging mentors is a great way to break the ice with potential sponsors.

We as women do need to rethink or at least expand the role we expect our mentors to play. Most of us are comfortable seeking guidance from our mentors, asking them for performance feedback and asking for help navigating workplace situations, but less comfortable asking our mentors to open doors for us, make introductions and connect us to career opportunities. Notice if you feel a bit uncomfortable reading that last sentence, and ask yourself if you have recently asked a mentor for any of those things. In my experience, guys are more comfortable asking their mentors to sponsor them. We need to do it more.

Career Planning ConversationsSometimes a well-placed comment is all it takes to turn a manager or a mentor into a sponsor, and you can’t know what opportunities they might connect you to until you ask.

I call these ‘career planning conversations’, because they involve A) stating your career plan, and B) actively engaging someone who has the power to help you. Here are some things you could say:

• I am interested in becoming (state your career goal). Do you know of any opportunities I should go after? Who should I speak to? Would you be willing to connect me with them?

• I am interested in (job opening). Would you advocate for me?

• I would like to work for you one day.

I was coaching a woman to have more of these conversations, and we did some role-plays. Even though it was uncomfortable, she practiced saying: “I am interested in becoming a (career goal). Can you let me know if you hear of any opportunities I would be a good fit for?” Not long after our coaching session, a senior leader stopped by her office to check in on a business issue. As he turned to leave, she blurted out her pre-prepared script, and although she felt awkward asking for sponsorship, the leader nodded, looked thoughtful, then left.

Twenty minutes later he stopped by her office again and said “I think I have an opportunity for you”.

Monday, August 30, 2010

For our August 24 webinar titled Leading Your Leaders: How to Manage Upward, Kimberly Brown Strickland, VP, Merchandising and Marketing at Walmart was kind enough to share written answers to questions that were sent in by webinar participants.

Kim agreed to let me post the Q&A here.

Question: How do you manage upward when the managers are in different geography? - Anita

Kim Brown Strickland answers: By phone or video conference is usually better than trying to manage a situation through email. Before I physically moved to England and then Japan, I managed people and processes through conference calls from the US to other countries. You need to be able to present logical, factual answers/suggestions just as you would if you were in person. Its even more difficult through language translation so, again, be prepared to ask the same questions several different ways to get a good answer or drive the decision to closure.

Question: How do you communicate effectively so management can provide resources needed? - Leah

Kim Brown Strickland answers: Make a good case and make it simple. Provide a logical, reasonable case that shows the issue/objective and then provide pros and cons of what you need in a very simple, convincing manner. If it doesn’t work the first time, be persistent without being pesky and bring it up again, reiterating the net benefits. Resources is tough one to ask for but you need to show you’ve exhausted every other possibility or method to get things done and still need more resources.

Question: What are some suggestions to become visible and ready, to our bosses eye? - Jessica

(and from Debra: How do you manage upward so that your accomplishments are held in higher regard, with recognition and visibility?)

Kim Brown Strickland answers: I think this goes back to having mentors and advocates that will speak for you. It first starts with doing a good job, but networking and being involved in projects or initiatives or even affinity groups that show you can do more than just your job don’t go unnoticed. Your mentor or advocate can get you recognized or promoted sometimes as easily as your boss. You can also set up “career one on ones” with your boss’s boss to gain an understanding of their perspective and what they know about you and your accomplishments. You don’t have to be the one to tell them about all of your accomplishments but at least you’ll know where you stand and what conversations to have with your boss or mentor.

Question: Is it appropriate to discuss your manager with another mentor/manager? - Barbara

Kim Brown Strickland answers: I think so. You obviously need to be respectful about it but I would have to say that the majority of the conversations I have with my mentees end up being about their manager or their team members and them trying to get advice on how to handle something. I have even recently called one of my mentees managers to have a conversation about a specific situation and framed it as us developing that person together because that’s how I view it and ensuring we were on the same page.

Question: How to manage a manger that doesn't want to change - Rachel

(and from Michelle: After years of not clicking with your manager, when is it time to resign and move on?)

Kim Brown Strickland answers: This is a tough one and I have had a couple of mentees with this situation before. Its not an easy decision. At Walmart, we have an open door policy that allows you to have conversations openly with potentially your boss’s boss or even up to the CEO. So, at some point, you have to know when its time to escalate the problem. However, I’m not saying this always works, it could just be a personality/style conflict and only you know what you can live with. I have been very fortunate never to have been in this situation but know people who have and it’s generally a fairly long, fairly frustrating process. The key is that you have to happy with whatever you are doing so only you can decide when enough is enough.

Question: How do you get a "break-through" when it seems the "daily tactics" are overwhelming the strategic direction? - Kathy

Kim Brown Strickland answers: I agree that sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. When you get to the point where you are doing things just to be doing them and they no longer seem to align to the strategic direction, you need to stop and take a step back to re-evaluate what’s important and what’s effective and challenge the process.

Poised for Leadership is receiving rave reviews from women across the US and Canada. One 2009 participant wrote:

"... a month ago I was promoted to a Senior Manager position, three months after attending Poised for Leadership. The takeaways from the workshop have tangibly accelerated my career advancement. Thanks for offering such a valuable resource to women leaders."

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Becoming politically savvy is not always viewed as a wholesome, worthy goal. The mere mention of the word "politics" triggers negative connotations.

A Senior Finance Manager had said "I refuse to schmooze and manipulate to get ahead". Yet she was frustrated after she was passed over for promotion twice. The two male colleagues who were promoted ahead of her were less qualified, but excelled at politicking.

In her article titled Seven Career Killers, author Erin Burt warns "avoiding politics altogether can be deadly for your career. Every workplace has an intricate system of power, and you can -- and should -- work it ethically to your best advantage." By becoming politically adept you can learn to:

Rise above power plays and interpersonal conflicts

Build a reputation as a go-to person, expert, or leader

Gain access to resources, information and opportunities

Influence outcomes and get buy-in for ideas and initiatives.

As you acquire the ability to navigate office politics effectively, I encourage you to let go of negative assumptions about office politics, and consider these alternate perspectives:

New Perspective #1:Replace the word "Politics" with the term "Organizational Awareness". Doesn't that sound better already?

New Perspective #2:Workplace politics is all about understanding communication and relationships, which women can excel at.

New Perspective #3:Make a personal commitment to use your organizational awareness in a way that is ethical and authentic.

Now that you are armed with a positive perspective, consider taking the following steps to use office politics to your strategic advantage.

Step 1: Map the Shadow OrganizationIn parallel to a company's traditional hierarchical organizational chart there exists what is known as a shadow organization. The shadow organization is an unofficial, informal network of relationships and coalitions. Understand your shadow organization and you will understand how power and influence play out.

Investigate your shadow organization by playing the role of observer, as though you are a corporate anthropologist. Notice who has influence, who gets along with whom. Discover who is respected and who champions others. Who are the hubs of social interaction and corporate intelligence? Find out who really gets things done.

Create a visual map showing all key players. Classify every interrelationship, noting whether it is built on friendliness, advocacy, respect, or coercion. Note the strength of each connection, and the direction in which influence flows.

For example, when a Project Manager mapped her shadow organization, she discovered she had strong bonds with peers, but not with higher-ups.

Step 2: Build RelationshipsIdentify people with whom to build relationships. Take at least one month to build your network without imposing an agenda on any of the relationships.

A Manager of Human Resources went out of her way to build strong ties with her company's marketing department after she noticed they were always first to hear about new products and trends. Having access to this information allowed her to gain greater credibility in her own department, where she is now has a reputation as having a finger on the pulse of the business.

Employing these perspectives and steps worked well for the Senior Manager of Finance who was passed over for promotion. She knew that her boss and her team did not recognize her value to the company. By mapping out relationships and spheres of influence she realized how to gain recognition and influence. Her most recent research topic was a hot-button issue for her VP, so she mentioned her findings to him in passing. At an all-hands meeting, he singled her out for praise, and recommended that their entire organization could learn from her focus on their business objectives. She continues to build her relationship with the VP by continuing to update him on her progress.

By changing your perspective on politics, and using your network, you can dramatically improve your opportunities for recognition and advancement.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Selena writes "When it comes to work, it matters how you present yourself at every turn. So what is presence and why does it matter? Presence is about carrying yourself in such a way that you are seen as credible and truly heard."

For advice on using a 30-second commercial to build a credible presence and harnesses the influence of your position and job title, read Selena's article here >>

Monday, August 2, 2010

On May 24, 2010, a high-energy group of 35 professional women came together to network, learn strategies to advance their careers, and support each other to take action in a leadership training seminar sponsored by Schiff Hardin LLP and Women's Leadership Coaching, Inc.

Read the full article from the Schiff Hardin Women's Networking Group (WNG) newsletter >>

Friday, July 23, 2010

Create you roadmap to break into positions of influence and leadership in business!

Learn how to gain credibility, expand your influence and add to your leadership toolkit, regardless of your current job title. This year-long, six-part webinar series is designed for early-career to mid-level women in corporations.

Topics include:

• Making the Most of Mentoring• Succeeding as an Agent of Change• Managing Others, With or Without Direct Authority• Leading Your Leaders: How to Manage Upward• Purposeful Risk-Taking• Transitioning from Employee to Manager

Guest speakers include senior-level women leaders from industry, who will share their career stories and advice.

Over 80% of participants have rated our webinars as 'very good' or 'excellent' in 2009.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

I was invited to speak in Tel Aviv along with keynote speaker Marissa Mayer, Google's VP Search Products & User Experience at TechLeaders: Becoming a Person of Influence, hosted by Google and co-sponsored by IBM, Intel and Microsoft.

The event was made possible by my partnership with the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, and a team of volunteers from the sponsoring companies, led by Google's Leora Wiseman. They will go on to lead the newly-created Technit organization, whose mission is to increase impact of women in technological fields in Israel.Read Leora's report on the event here >>

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Poised for Leadership is a workshop for women who want to create a roadmap into positions of responsibility, influence and leadership.

Join Jo Miller, CEO of Women's Leadership Coaching Inc for a high-impact day in Minneapolis on June 11 and discover what it really takes for you to break through into leadership.

You will learn how to:-Project a seasoned, credible leadership presence-Gain visibility and reward for your accomplishments-Build a reputation as a leader, expert or go-to person-Understand the dynamics of power in your organization-Navigate organizational politics with savvy-Build your sphere of influence-Leverage your network to gain access to hidden resources, information and opportunities-Cultivate influence and get buy-in for ideas and initiatives-Create, envision and lead high-profile projects. Poised for Leadership has received rave reviews from women across the US and Canada in DC, Dallas, Ottawa, RTP, San Jose, Seattle, and Toronto. Past participants have said:

"This was the best, most beneficial training I've attended in years."

"This seminar is one of the best I've ever attended. You'll walk away with a new inspiration and determination."

"Every point Jo made was relevant. We walked out with strategies for being a leader-not just in our workplace but in our daily lives."

DATE: June 11, 2010 9:00am - 4:30pm

LOCATION: Symantec Corporation, Roseville MNREGISTRATION: $259 (Or $239 per person when registering with a group of 3 or more)

Friday, May 7, 2010

Not only do we buy over half of the new vehicles sold every year (54%), we influence up to 80% of all purchase decisions. This is on top of that fact that we account for 65% of service work done at dealerships. All in all we provide $200 billion dollars worth of buying power to the industry! Not too shabby for us ladies, if I do say so myself!

Despite this massive buying power that we posses, we still only make up 8% of car salespeople across the country. A lot of this could explain why so often women feel the need to bring along a male “security blanket” to help them shop. Hopefully you do not fall into this category but, if you do, it is really not surprising at all.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

As chief financial officer for Morgan Stanley, Ruth Porat is the firm’s most senior-ranked female executive, and one of a small handful of women currently serving in C-level positions on Wall Street. (Here she is profiled by the Wall Street Journal)

It is a tough job with tremendous responsibility, and you could be forgiven for assuming Porat is a proponent of working hard.

In fact, she is quite the opposite. Quoted recently in the New York Times, Porat remarked “One of the biggest problems women have is they work really hard and put their heads down and assume hard work gets noticed”.

The workforce is full of smart, talented, hard-working women who sit at their desk delivering outstanding results to the benefit their company. The problem is, they are relying on the assumption that someone from management will eventually stop by and recognize their hard work.

If your plan to get a promotion or a raise only involves work harder, you should plan on waiting a long time, because hard work alone does not guarantee reward and recognition. You need to take additional steps that make your accomplishments visible.

Take five minutes today to step away from your desk and your work. Go interact with a leader who has the power to advance your career. Ask them how they are doing, and when they return the question, tell them you are doing great, and briefly mention a recent accomplishment, e.g.: “I’m doing great. I just got nominated for an innovation award”.

A number of years ago I was speaking with a leader who I consider to be highly successful. By her mid-30’s she was managing a large business division. As I was asking her what steps she had taken to get there, she confided in me “I just wish there was a roadmap for women that described how to advance”.

It was such a great question, and since no-one seemed to have a clear answer, I made it my personal mission to understand the factors that set apart successful women leaders who have advanced into positions of responsibility and leadership in the corporate world.

Here’s what I discovered. In no particular order, here are nine things to do more of in order to be recognized as an up-and-coming leader who is poised to advance into positions of responsibility and leadership.

To learn how to integrate these skills into your daily work-life, join me for Poised for Leadership, a 1-day workshop for women who want to break into positions of responsibility, influence and leadership in business.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

In today's Emerging Leaders Webinar, guest speaker Betty Chan-Bauza, VP, Corporate Strategy, LifeLock, spoke about how to be an effective change agent, and the importance of communicating impactfully to get others on board. Chan-Bauza's stories of risk-taking to lead change showcased her impressive communication skills, and she mentioned some resources that participants might find valuable.

Here's Chan-Bauza's reading list for being an effective change agent, leader, and business strategist.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Join me on May 24 in San Francisco for Poised for Leadership, a one-day workshop for women who want to create a roadmap into positions of responsibility, influence and leadership.Register now, to discover what it really takes for you to break through into leadership.You will learn how to:

Poised for Leadership is receiving rave reviews from women across the US and Canada. One 2009 participant wrote:

"... a month ago I was promoted to a Senior Manager position, three months after attending Poised for Leadership.

The takeaways from the workshop have tangibly accelerated my career advancement. If nothing else, a daily affirmation that "I am a future Vice President" has transformed my decision-making and attitude about work.

Why do some leaders have the ability to walk into a room, and own it? Discover the various facets of executive presence, and how to build your leadership brand as a leader. Learn the Top 10 Qualities of Executive Presence and how to project a seasoned, credible presence.

...Morgan Stanley has but one senior woman executive: Ruth Porat, a longtime firm veteran who was recently appointed as chief financial officer. She has been an outspoken advocate for the hiring and promoting of more women on Wall Street.

“One of the biggest problems women have is they work really hard and put their heads down and assume hard work gets noticed,” Porat has said.

“And hard work for the wrong boss does not get noticed. Hard work for the wrong boss results in one thing — that boss looks terrific and you get stuck.”

Thursday, March 11, 2010

"What happens when you put 100 really smart women in a room from every sector—private, public, civil society, NGOs, government, social enterprises? You get some really great thinking."

On International Women's Day 2010, Jody Mahoney, Anita Borg Institute's VP Business Development attended the UN Global Compact/UN Development Fund for Women Meeting to Launch the Women’s Empowerment Principles.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

In no particular order, here are five of my favorite women's leadership blogs.

TheGlassHammer.comTheGlassHammer provides commentary on news, social and political trends that affect women executives in financial services, law and business, as well as reporting on women’s conferences and events. Regular ‘Voice of Experience’ posts profile notable women leaders such as Colette Taylor, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Americas Institutional at Russell Investments and Lynn Tilton, CEO, Patriarch Partners.

NinaSimosko.comNina Simosko is a member of SAP’s Senior Executive team, heading up SAP’s system integrator partnerships globally as well as sharing management of SAP’s global Go To Market relationships. With all that responsibility and frequent travel, it’s incredible how prolific she is as a blogger. Her topic is leadership, often with a pop-culture twist as in posts about what leaders can learn from Conan and Leno, or Britney Spears, and a smattering of core leadership skills such as strategy, empathy and managing in a matrix.

Caroline Simard and Telle Whitney’s blog at Fast CompanyDr. Caroline Simard is Director of Research and Dr. Telle Whitney is President and CEO of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. They co-author this blog, rich with examples of what it really takes to recruit, retain and advance women within the unique culture of Silicon Valley hi-tech companies. Recent posts feature what women technology executives say about the ‘hero culture’ in hi-tech companies, and from-the-trenches examples of how to retain top technical talent.

Future Women LeadersA not-for-profit professional women's organization in the San Francisco Bay Area, FWL is led by a young, energetic leadership team. Their blog is frequently updated with their events and profiles of women leaders and up-and-comers.

The Center For Women’s Leadership, Babson CollegeBlog posts by the Center’s staff support their mission to ‘disseminate best practice for women's entrepreneurial leadership’, with take-aways from their executive education programs for women. They also profile authors and thought leaders on topics regarding women’s impact on the economy and participation in the workforce.

Enjoy! And please post a comment if there's a women in leadership blog you recommend.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

There has been a noticeable change in the way women help other women in the workforce.

“In the past 10 years, I have seen a huge push among senior level women who are passionate about mentoring,” said Jo Miller, Founder of Women’s Leadership Coaching “to help emerging women leaders gain access to networks, role models and opportunities.”

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Find out by joining this year-long series of six webinars featuring senior executive women guest speakers, hosted by Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc:

Executive Women Leaders Webinar SeriesLearn proven strategies for transitioning from manager to leader, leading high-performance teams, taking purposeful risks, and becoming a results-oriented visionary. This program is for ideal women who are corporate executives at Director-level or above.

Topics include:

• Being A Visionary• Executive Presence• Purposeful Risk-Taking• Leading High Performance Organizations• Transitioning from Manager to Executive• Executive Work/Life Balance

Sunday, January 17, 2010

After giving the same soundbyte to two media outlets in 2 days, I figured it was worth a blog post.

In the past, we heard too often about the senior executive woman who climbed the ladder in high heels, then kicked the ladder away, letting it fall on someone else! Their philosophy was "I got here without any special help, I never had any issue being a woman, so where would be the benefit of singling out women out for special treatment". This was demotivating for up-and-coming women who saw role models of a type of female leader they didn’t want to become.

This has changed slowly but surely in the last 10 years. I am seeing a big push among senior women leaders who are passionate about mentoring to help emerging women leaders gain access to networks, role models and leadership opportunities.

In practice, this looks like senior-level women founding or sponsoring their company’s women's network, and showing up to participate as sponsors, mentors and guest speakers. They are gaining the attention of leaders at all levels as they talk up a compelling business case: that companies with more women leaders do better, and that women now make up the majority of college graduates and the early-career pipeline of leadership candidates. As a result of their influence, more companies funding their women's initiatives.

If you're not a senior exec and you want to launch a women's network at your company, don't let that stop you. There are women's networks that have been founded and funded through the efforts of volunteers at all levels. What they have in common is energy and passion to drive the initiatives, and to influence their leadership to gain legitimacy and funding.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Every month I write about a career or leadership topic for the Anita Borg Institute's web site.

For this month's article, I interviewed Titina Ott, Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness with a leading global software corporation, about how to build a leadership brand that demonstrates how you are adding value to your company.

Ott believes it is so important that every employee is able to create a direct “line of sight” between what they do each day to their organization’s bottom line, that she leads webinars for employees on how to do this.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

From Nicki Gilmour, CEO and Founder of our partner blog The Glass Hammer:

The Economist kicked off the year with Rosie the Riveter on the cover, proclaiming “We did it.” What exactly did we do?

Well, we became 50% of the workforce, generally, across all industries. We can interpret that in two ways, either as a positive advancement for women as they are able to have economic freedom by earning their own wage or that that women have to work to support themselves and their families; it does not necessary mean that we are actually getting somewhere as leaders and managers in equal numbers to men.

I have to be honest. I had to check that I wasn’t reading an old copy of the Economist from January 1980...

Women in the Boardroom, formerly known as Women on Boards, is an executive leadership event designed to assist in the preparation of board service – better qualifying you and connecting you with the right people and resources. Our panelists are executives with for-profit board experience and a desire to share their knowledge and necessary tools for serving as a director. Although the focus is for-profit boards, much of the knowledge gained can be applied to non-profit service.

Having originated in 2002 in a single city, Women in the Boardroom has now become an annual event, scheduled to be in 15 cities in 2010. Don’t let the name fool you. All current presidents, directors and professionals in leadership roles – men and women – are encouraged to attend as an opportunity to mentor, learn from each other or find their next great executive or board member.

The event begins with a two-hour panel presentation and Q&A. Topics of discussion include:

• Role of being a director • Differences of a non-profit, private and public board • Board selection process • Being an effective board member • Positioning yourself for board service/taking the next step

The role of women on boards continues to evolve, as have all other leadership roles for women in business. In today's corporate climate of increased scrutiny of board governance, boards of directors are being held more accountable than ever. Composition is being closely watched and CEOs and directors are frequently broadening their search for new board members to include women and minorities.

Currently, women represent only 15.2% of Fortune 500 company board membership and Women in the Boardroom is out to change that!

Over at the Engineering Gal's Insights blog, Allison Goodman is making her career and leadership resolutions. They include working less, delegating without micromanaging, and improving her self-promotion skills.

ABOUT

After interviewing more than 1,000 up-and-coming womenleaders, CEO Jo Miller recognized a common set of challenges encountered by women wanting to advance their careers—especially in industries often considered a “man’s world,” such as technology, finance, and energy. She created the Women’s Leadership Coaching™ system to teach emerging women leaders a specific set of strategic and tactical skills necessary to break through those roadblocks and move ahead.